Watchtower Buddies
by Kariotic
Summary: Medieval Fantasy AU. Qrow Brawen, charged with guarding a tower, is assigned a new partner on his long day shift: a talkative, scruffy newcomer named Tai-Yang Xiao Long. Will they meld together well enough or will Qrow launch Tai over the side of the castle walls? Let's find out. Streamed writing December 16, 2017. One-Shot with the potential to be continued. Rated T for language.


**Hello all! BleachCadelina here with another streamed One-Shot! However, I think this story has the potential to be a multi-chapter short story with episodic breaks like "Nobody's Tale in Vale," but hopefully better. This was a fun story to write with characters I've never written before. Don't worry, finals are over soon, so I'll have some free time to work on the other fics that y'all have been waiting on for so long.**

Dark clouds dominated the skies above his head, cold winds brushing even colder at his cheeks at such a high altitude. Qrow sighed as he took a quick swig from his flask, savoring the burn of the drink as it went down. His gazed trailed off to the side, where he could just make out some trainees training in the courtyard; that was one benefit he had with this position. He'd nitpick at their mistakes to the Captain later that night during dinner, he had a job to do for now.

Ozpin's orders were simple: no one gets in, no one gets out. Qrow rolled his shoulders and kicked out his legs to stretch out his already tired calf muscles. Standing guard at this tower for hours every day wasn't difficult. It wasn't easy either. There was always a chance, an incredibly arbitrary chance, that something could happen. Sure, his post was far from the front lines, but he still had to keep his eye out for anything odd. Though, the only odd that had happened recently was how boring it had become, after his last partner had been called to the front lines. Qrow grumbled as he took another pull from his flask before replacing it within his cloak and armor. Now, Ozpin had assigned another guard to join him in his hours-long escapade of boredom. Qrow could hear the clanking of armor getting nearer. The new guy was here already?

"Hey!" The new guy waved at Qrow, his helmet under his arms. His blonde hair was messy, leaving Qrow unsure if it was naturally that way or because of the helmet. "You're Branwen, right?"

"Yeah," The Scythe-wielding knight nodded curtly, looking the other man over. He had an average build, with broad shoulders and a permanent smirk that made Qrow want to smack his face until it disappeared. Unimpressed, he finally continued with, "You're the new guy, huh?"

"That's what Oz said," came the reply with a crossing of arms, revealing a set of heavy gauntlets. One gauntlet-armed hand was extended towards Qrow, who took it and shook firmly; rough hands meant a hard worker, and this guy looked like he goofed around a lot. "Tai-Yang Xiao Long. Call me Tai. I'm new to this outpost."

"Then call me Qrow and take your post," Said the red-eyed man, pointing to the opposite side of the door. "We can chit-chat all day if ya want."

"Something tells me you're not a fan of that." Tai retorted with a tilted head and what looked like a deeper smirk.

"It's what you younger soldiers love to do so much," Qrow countered with a roll of his eyes. "You lot love to yap your mouth instead of buckling down and fighting."

"You gotta build brotherhood, Qrow," was the blonde's response. "Get to know your fellow soldiers."

"Brotherhood forged in steel," Qrow began, pulling out his flask again. "And whatever else the damn wizard loves to say."

"Ozpin does talk a lot, doesn't he?" Tai chuckled. "It's like he l—"

"He likes the sound of his own voice." Qrow interrupted, gauging his new partner's reaction. Giving his own smirk at the blonde's surprised expression, Qrow nodded and said, "Know the guy long enough and you know how he works."

"If you know him so well, then why do you have this shitty position?" Tai asked. If this hadn't been the hundredth time he'd heard this question, Qrow would've snapped back with some venomous response. Now, all he did was sigh and gestured at the area around them.

"We are at the highest point in the Beacon Castle stronghold and surrounded by some of Ozpin's strongest wards," Qrow noted for Tai. "I've been part of Ozpin's guard for the last decade and despite all the _pairs_ of guards that have stood here, I've been the one that's stayed behind to guard this door for the last six years."

"So he trusts you," Tai nodded, looking from Qrow to the formidable door behind them. "What _is_ behind this door, though?" All Tai got from Qrow was a shrug.

"Wouldn't tell you even if I knew."

"Wouldn't or _couldn't_?" Tai asked.

"That… doesn't work in the way you think it does," said the veteran. "We're getting paid to stand here and guard the doors, not ask what's behind them."

"Tch, you took the easy way out." Tai clicked his tongue. "So, we just stand here and look out for… how long?"

"Until Ozpin sends the night guard," Qrow answered with a sigh.

"Fuck, Tai groaned. "That's a hell of a long time to do nothing. How've you—!" The blonde caught something silver falling at corner of his right eye before lashing his arm out to grab… a flask? Tai looked up to his partner, who tried his best not to look too curious of his actions.

"It's gonna be a quiet one," Qrow said. "I advise you take a quick sip and muster up some patience." Taking this as a sign of good acquaintanceship, Tai's smirk grew into a kinder smile before he unscrewed the flask's top and took a sip and savored the flavor. A raised black eyebrow gave him a smug feeling that Qrow wasn't expecting him to take the normally harsh drink so well. Tai made sure to screw to cap back on tightly before tossing it back at his partner, who caught it with a nod of thanks. They straightened up their stances and faced onward, in an almost regal fashion that defined their position as important guards of Beacon Castle, one of the most fortified structures in the whole world of Remnant, where only the strong, stoic, and stalwart stood guard and defended their land. At least, that's what Qrow let himself think, as he finally relaxed. Then, Tai spoke.

"Wanna play I-Spy?"

It was going to be a long day, indeed.

 **Thanks for reading! See y'all next time!**


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